Quarantine
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: Regina and Emma taking care of Henry and Lila with chickenpox – guest. SQ and SwanMillsFamily fluff.


_Regina and Emma taking care of Henry and Lila with chickenpox – guest_

_Thank you for the prompt. I don't own Once or its characters. Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you enjoy :) _

Emma smiles contently as she stirs. She never used to be a morning person but now she loves waking up. Who wouldn't enjoy waking up with the woman they love in their arms? She blinks open one eye to gaze upon dark brown curls resting atop her chest. Emma grins as she listens to Regina snore lightly. Her wife still claims she doesn't but she does and it's actually kind of adorable. Emma nuzzles her wife's forehead until Regina begins to stir.

"Morning Em," Regina mumbles before yawning and leaning up to kiss her wife. Emma kisses back with a serene smile. She may love her children but she cherishes this moment of peace with her wife before everyone else gets up.

"Good morning," Emma replies.

"Always is with you," Regina says with a bright smile before stretching and sliding up so she can snuggle next to Emma rather than on top of her. "What do you want to do with our morning?"

"Well," Regina replies with a slight purr in her voice, "I was thinking we could take a shower?"

Emma grins knowing exactly what that means before kissing her wife. She stands quickly before taking Regina's hand and leading her into the bathroom. They rush through into the other room kissing each other and divesting one another of their pyjamas. They're just about to enter the shower when they hear a loud cry of "MOMMIES!"

Emma sighs, "Raincheck?"

Regina nods quickly grabbing her bathrobe, "So it would seem dear." She kisses her wife once more before handing her bathrobe. Emma covers up before following Regina out of their bedroom door. She gasps when she sees Lila standing there covered in red spots. "Uh-oh," Emma says as Regina turns to her with wide-eyed panic. "Emma what's wrong with her?" she asks worriedly before scooping up their four year old.

"Don't worry Regina," Emma says, "it looks like chickenpox. We'll just have to stay off for a few days with her. We just need to make sure she doesn't scratch, keep an eye on her temperature and just look after her."

"No pre-school?" Lila asks.

"No munchkin," Emma replies, "You get lots of stories and TV and cuddles with your Mommies until you feel better."

At that Lila's face lights up, "Yay!"

Emma chuckles, "See she's fine."

"Well she's still poorly," Regina points out cuddling Lila close. She hates it when their kids are ill. It sends her protective worrying instincts into overdrive. Emma moves to hug them both running a reassuring hand up and down Regina's arm knowingly. "She'll be fine. She has." Regina nods, "I know."

As they stand there Emma has a thought, "Regina has Henry had chickenpox before?"

Regina shakes her head, "No. Under the curse he rarely got sick."

"Okay. Well Lila-bug it looks like you're under quarantine."

* * *

"I'm booored!" Lila whines as she sits in her mother's big bed with crossed arms and a huffy pout. Regina smiles sympathetically, "I know boo bear but you have to stay in here."

"Why?"

"Well because you're poorly and you don't want Henry to get poorly do you?"

"No," Lila sighs, "But I'm still bored." She scratches her arm before Regina moves her hand away, "No scratching."

"But it itches!"

"I know honey," Regina replies, "But if you scratch it'll make it worse."

"But I can't help it," Lila moans rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Regina cuddles her closely before snapping her fingers, "I know what will help."

"What?" Lila asks brightening up at the idea of anything to stop her scratching. "Wait here," Regina tells her before hurrying out of her bedroom and through to Lila's. Lila sits up hugging her stuffed pony with a confused look until her Mom comes back holding something behind her back. "What you got?" Lila asks.

"Mittens," Regina replies revealing her daughter's bright pink mittens, knitted by Snow, and placing them on Lila's hands.

"But Mommy, you said I couldn't go outside."

"And you can't but if you have mittens on then you won't be able to scratch," at that Lila grins and lets her mother mitten up her hands, "There you go. Is that better?" Regina asks. Lila nods happily, "You a genius Mommy."

Regina laughs before kissing her daughter on the forehead and turning to her, "So movies or stories?"

"A story then sleepy time 'cause I sleepy and you tell awesome stories."

Regina smiles, "Okay what story?" she asks as she tucks her daughter into the bed. As a concession for not being able to go outside they let her come stay in their room which made Lila smile again.

"The one about you and Mama."

"Once upon a time there was a queen. She was living a peaceful life with her son Henry when one day life turned upside down. Henry ran away one day in search of a saviour to break the queen's curse. The queen was terrified that day. She thought it was the beginning of the end but it turned out to be the start of her road to happiness….."

"…and then came the day that everyone had been waiting for. The saviour and the queen made a baby who made them even happier than they already were. When their little Lila bug arrived all three, Emma, Regina and Henry felt like their family was complete….."

"…and they're still living their happy ending to this very day," Emma completes from the doorway. Lila is happily snoozing away but Regina always sees the story through to the end. It's her favourite too. She walks over smoothing some hair away from their daughter's forehead. "How has she been?"

Regina smiles, "She's okay. A little grumpy and itchy. Where did you go? I thought you were just popping to Granny's to pick up lunch?"

"I was," Emma replies, "But it seems we have another for the quarantine. Come in kid."

Henry walks in in his pyjamas and holding his pillow. He throws himself down onto the bed with a groan, "I caught the pox."

"So we have two little babies to look after then?" Regina asks.

"I'm seventeen Mom."

"You'll always be my baby. Now pick a Disney movie."

* * *

"Henry don't scratch or do we need to get you mittens as well?" Emma asks as she hands out bowls of chicken soup.

"I don't even have mittens and these spots are so irritating!"

"I not scratching," Lila points out blowing on her spoon before swallowing a mouthful of soup.

"Good job Lila bug. You can set an example for your big brother," Emma replies with a grin as Regina chuckles.

Henry rolls his eyes, "Fine I won't scratch. How long does chickenpox last anyways?"

"About a week to clear it fully," Emma explains.

"Have you had it Mama?" Lila asks as she reaches for a solider. It's not their typical dinner but whenever anyone is ill they all have soup and soldiers out of solidarity. Plus it's good comfort food and one of the things Emma can cook.

"Yep," Emma replies, "I was about five so a little older than you Lila."

"Who looked after you?" Lila asks.

"An older brother in my foster home," Emma says, "He was about Henry's age and because he'd had it he looked out for me. I remember he put socks on my hands to stop my scratching."

"Socks?!" Lila says wrinkling her nose.

Emma nods smiling at one of her few good childhood memories. These are the ones she likes sharing with the family she has now. Back then she never thought she would find this but now she can't imagine not doing so. "Socks. It was fun though. To make me feel better he put them and used to pretend they were sock puppets."

"What's a sock puppet?" Lila asks.

Emma smiles before reaching into her drawer and pulling out a sock. She slips it onto her hand before pretending it's a face. She bops it over to Lila before animating it with her hand, "Hi Lila," she says via the sock.

Lila giggles, "Hi Mama's sock."

"Mama's sock? Who is this Mama's sock? I am Lady Sockington, High Empress of the Sock Drawer."

Lila laughs and even Henry chuckles as Emma mucks around with the sock before using it to tickle her two children. Soon the bowls have been cleared onto the bedside table and a mitten and sock tickle war has begun.

"I'm Miss Mitten" Lila cries, "And my job is tickling Mommies!"

The tickle fight ends five minutes later when two poorly children collapse beneath the sheets clearly exhausted. "Okay that's enough excitement for now. How about a quick nap?" Lila and Henry nod before closing their eyes.

Emma and Regina both smile as Lila instinctively curls into Henry's side and he puts an arm around her. Emma nudges Regina, "Remember when she was a tiny baby and he used to hold her like that?"

Regina nods, "I do. He's always been such a good big brother to her."

"We make awesome kids," Emma replies resting her head on Regina's shoulder.

"We really do," Regina says. Emma moves to take her hand before frowning. She runs her thumb up and down Regina's forearm before rolling up her sleeve to reveal red spots, "Uh-oh," Emma says. Regina looks down, "Oh no."

"You've never had it?"

Regina shakes her head, "No. Is it painful? You'll take care of me right?"

Emma chuckles pulling her wife in for a hug and giving her a loving kiss, "Of course I will. Now get your 'jamas on and join the quarantined area," she says gesturing to their bed.

* * *

Emma yawns sleepily as she walks from her bathroom into her bedroom. She's sleeping on the chaise in the corner of the room tonight since her bed is now officially full of poorly people.

She smiles as she walks in.

Regina is on the end of the bed wearing a pair of Emma's checkered pyjama bottoms, a tank top and oven gloves over her hands. Curled up next to her with her forehead leaned against Regina's is Lila. One hand is clutching at Regina's tank top and the other is holding on tight to the stuffed bear she's had since she was a baby. On her other side Henry is sprawled out in the way he always sleeps, on his side and yet still spread across the room. His hands are wearing his soccer goalie gloves. One arm is still slung protectively over Lila and the rest of him is tangled up in a mix of blankets and sheets.

Emma chuckles at the adorable sight of her family snapping a quick photo on her phone. She covers her wife up with another blanket before kissing all three of their foreheads.

She checks they're all sleeping peacefully before moving their chaise to beside the bed. Emma can't sleep unless she's by her wife's side and tonight is no exception. She covers it in a blanket before grabbing a pillow. She lays down looking at her family and covering herself with her comfiest blanket.

Emma knows the next few days will be a little rough with all three of them suffering with the chickenpox but they'll all go through it together and so she knows that whatever bad moments will be outweighed by the many good ones spent cuddled up together and sharing stories and soup.

She thinks back to the story she told Lila that day. When she was in the system she thought she was doomed to a life alone and never believed she would find what she has now. Her happiness came about in the most unexpected way but Emma loves her life and as she looks at the people snuggled up on the bed she knows there's no-one else she'd rather be quarantined with.

_Thanks for reading :) _


End file.
